Furniture-caster.



/ T. DOLL.

FURNITURE GASTER.

APPLICATIOE FILED JULY 6,1911.

Patehted Nov. 21, 1911.

UNITED STATES THEODORE DOLL, 0F NORA SPRINGS, IOWA.

FURNITURE-CASTER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 21, 1911.

Application filed .nu s, 1911. Serial No. 637,182.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, THEODORE DOLL, citizen of the United States, residing at Nora. Springs, in the county of Floyd and State of Iowa, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Furniture-Casters, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in furniture casters of the classwherein provision is made for withdrawing the caster when not in use, and has for one of its objects to simplify and improve the construction and increase the efficiency and utility of devices of this character.

Another object of the invention is to provide a device of this character wherein the actuating mcchanismis concealed from view so that the attachment does not present any different appearance from an ordinary caster.

Another object of the invention is to provide av device of this character wherein the caster is automatically disposed in operative position by merely lifting the article of furniture.

With these and other objects in View, the invention consists in certainnovel features of construction as hereafter shown and described and then specifically pointed out in the claims.

The improved device may be applied to any of the various articles of furniture upon which casters are employed, such as tables, chairs, couches, pianos, organs, bedsteads and the like, and it is not desired therefore to limit the invention to any specific article of furniture to which it may be applied, but for the purpose of illustration is shown and applied to a conventional table leg, and in the drawings thus employed: Figure 1 is a sectional elevation with the parts in projected position; Fig. 2 is a section on the line 2 2 of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a detail perspective view, of the guide members, detached.

The improved device is shown applied to a table leg represented conventionally at 10 and is provided with a relatively large cavity indicated at 11 in its lower end, the cavity being preferably lined with a metal casing 12. The casing 12 will be preferably employed as the strength of the device is thereby materially increased, but itwill be understood that the casing is not an essential feature of the invention.

The leg 10 is provided with a longitudinal bore indicated at 13 and enlarged at its lower end as shown at 14-, the bore and its enlargement communicating with the cavity 11,'as shown. Mounted within the enlargement 14: are two guide disks 1516 which are rigidly secured to the leg in any suitable manner. Extending downwardly through the bore 13 and likewise through the plates 15-16, is a rod 17, and connected to the lower end of the rod is a swivel caster frame 18 having a caster of any desired form. Formed in the body of the leg 10 at the upture or guideway 20 and slidable within this guideway 1s a bar 21 having an aperture upper end of the rod 17 is adapted to project when the arm '21 is in its inward position as shown in Fig. 2. If preferred, a sprin 23 may be located at the inner end of the arm 21 and operating to maintain the latter yieldably in its outward position. By this simple arrangement it will be obvious that when the rod 17 with its caster frame 18 attached, is located in its lower position and the arm 21 withdrawn as shown in Fig. 1, the upper end of the rod will bear against the imperforate portion of the arm and thus maintained in its downward position with the caster projected or in its operative position. If it is desired to withdraw the casters the operator simply forces the arms 21 inwardly until the apertures 22 are in position to permit the rod 17 to pass upwardly when the casters will be automatieally withdrawn or disposed in their inoperative position as shown in Fig. 2. hen it is desired to dispose the casters in operative position, the article of furniture is elevated to permit the rod 17 and the casters carried thereby, to move downward by gravity until the upper ends of the rods are below the paths of the bars 21 when the springs 23 will immediately move the latter into their outward position and form stops to prevent the upward movement of the rods. Thus the casters are automatically disposed in their operative position by simply lifting the table.

' The improved dew'oe is simple in construction, can be inexpensively manufactured and applied without decreasing the strength of the article of furniture, and may be applied without material structural changes to articles of furniture of different forms and sizes.

per end of the rod 17 is a transverse aper-' intermediate its ends through which the The improved device is applicable without material structural changes to any of the various forms of casters in use.

Having thus described the invention What is claimed as new is i 1. A device of the class described comprising a rod carrying a caster, a guiding means for said rod adapted to be attached to an article of furniture, and a'stop member extending into the path of said rod and holding the rod and caster in projected position, said stop member having an aperture through which said rod passes when the stop member is moved into a predetermined position to permit the withdrawal of the caster.

2. The combinatlon with an article of furniture having a longitudinal bore and a Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the transverse guideway intersectingthe bore,

said bore being eounterbored at the lower end, a rod slidable in said bore, a caster carried by said rod, guide disks spaced apart and supported in said counter bore and through which said rod operates, and a member movable in said guideway and against which said rod bears when the rod and caster are projected and having an aperture through which said rod passes when the rod and caster are withdrawn.

In testimony whereof, I aiiix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

Kaaomxn B. DOLL, LUELLA A. MOODY.

Washington, I). C.

Commissioner of Patents, 

